Chapter 25 Delaney #2
“Fucking right, I will.” He kisses me quickly and grins a goofy, crooked grin. “Stay with Hendrix.”
“I heard you the first time.” I smile. “Go.”
Ryker jogs out of the room as I stand frozen in place.
Watching and wondering when it happened.
When exactly did I fall in love with my husband?
Because a piece of my heart just walked away.
By the time we walk into the Sinclair family’s box suite to find my sister and the girls, the chaos has died down, but only because word already spread. And so have the pictures. What the hell?
No sooner do I walk through the door than Lexie pulls me aside, shoving her phone in my face. “What the hell just happened?”
“Dude, Ryker went alpha-hero insane on the paparazzi’s asses, that’s what happened,” Kaleigh cheers, and I want to crawl in a hole and hide.
“Seriously. I know you work at a bookstore, Kay, but you’ve got to chill. This isn’t a book. It’s my life.” I can’t decide if it’s falling apart or utterly perfect if we just remove the paps from the equation.
I try to push the earlier insanity down. Forget the reporters. Ignore Brooks. And focus on the fact that the KHPD chose not to file charges against my husband.
Wait . . . they’re not filing charges . . . against my husband.
The whole reason he even is my husband was to avoid charges and get through the league’s investigation unscathed without losing any sponsors.
Now that the first big hurdle has been crossed, I assume the others will fall in line.
Does that mean our arrangement will end?
My mind spirals in a million directions before Ashton steps next to me, looking exhausted as she bounces Kyrie on what’s left of her pregnant hip. “Any chance you could take her for me? My back is absolutely killing me today.”
“Of course there is,” I coo, more at my baby sister than my big sister. “Come here, Kyrie.”
“Lalalala,” she babbles, and Dillan growls.
Pretty sure she’s pissed Kyrie’s babbling sounds like she’s trying to say Laney or Lexie.
I figure the L is an easier sound than the D. But she’s not having it. Oh well. “Come on, baby girl. It’s time to watch the game.”
“Hey, Lane.” I look up at Lexie as she takes the seat next to me and a sleeping Kyrie. “You holding up okay?”
“As good as I can be, I guess. It’s just been a weird day.” Understatement of the century. “I’m not sure I’ll get used to any of this. It’s hard to imagine all of you growing up in this world. I can’t imagine always having this kind of interest on my life.”
“It wasn’t as bad for me,” she shrugs. “My dad didn’t play pro ball.
I watched it through the lens of my grandfather and aunts and uncles.
But my brothers and I had it a little easier.
” She looks down at the field to where her husband stands on the sidelines next to one of her brothers.
“I don’t know. I guess for us . . . it was just . . . life.”
“I guess so. It’s just—”
We both sit up and stare across the suite as my sister grunts in pain. Her black leggings soaked, and she’s doubled over with Jamie’s brother, Finn’s hand in hers.
Oh my God.
Lexie and I look at each other. “She’s having the baby!”
Ryker
We’re barely off the field after the final seconds on the clock wound down when Brady Ryan, our QB coach, grabs Jamie. “Come on, Jamie. You gotta go.”
Maverick and I jog over, not taking any damn chances at this point today. “What’s going on, Coach?”
Doesn’t matter how long we’ve known Brady or his family off the field. The fact that our dads went to high school together means jack shit when we’re at practice or on this field. He’s a Kings coach. It’s just the way it is.
Jamie looks up at us as Coach finishes saying something we can’t hear, and his smile splits his face. “Holy shit. I’m having a baby.”
Damn.
“Well, come on then. Let’s get you to the hospital,” Mav tells him as he slaps his back.
“I mean, Ashton’s the one doing all the work, if we need to get technical,” I bust his balls as we jog into the locker room to grab our stuff.
Maverick grabs his keys and throws his clothes in a bag. “Come on, man. I’ll drive.”
I grab my phone and shoot off a text, knowing if Ashton is in labor, there’s no way my girl stayed behind to wait for me.
Ryker
Hey, Bambi. Are you at the hospital with Ashton?
Delaney
Yes. For now. I’ve got Kyrie. Finn and Dillan are in the room with Ashton. Please tell me you guys are bringing Jamie.
Ryker
Yeah. We’ll be in the car in a minute.
Delaney
Then stop texting and get your cute ass here, Beneventi.
Ryker
You think my ass is cute, Bambi?
Delaney
I think your ass is edible, pretty boy. I also think what you did today in the tunnels may have been the hottest thing you’ve ever done for me.
Oh, and I think if you don’t get my sister’s husband here in time for him to see my nephew being born, she may try to cut off your dick. An appendage I’ve grown quite fond of. So get that pretty boy ass here.
I’ll see you soon.
Jamie jogs ahead of us as Maverick and I walk into the private waiting room of the Labor & Delivery wing of Kroydon Hills Hospital.
My eyes immediately find Delaney, tucked into the back corner in a double chair.
Her legs are resting across it, with her knees bent and her eyes closed while Kyrie sleeps on her chest, with my best friend sitting sentry in the chair opposite her.
“Hey, man,” I whisper, not wanting to wake Delaney if she’s sleeping. “Thanks for staying with her.”
“You would have done the same . . . Pretty sure you actually have a time or two. But who’s keeping count?”
“Who’s got Bodhi?” I ask, looking back over at Delaney. Her eyes are open and on me now.
“Good twin has him for me.” Hendrix stands and pounds my back. “I’m going to head to her house now to get him, if you’re good.”
“We’re good. Seriously, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” he shrugs and walks over to Delaney and drops a hand on Kyrie’s back. “You good, slugger?”
Slugger?
She smiles softly and shakes her head. “I’m good. Thanks for your help today, Hendrix.”
Hendrix puts his fist up for a pound, and Delaney hits her fist to his.
What the hell did I miss?
When did these two come up with nicknames and secret handshakes?
Lane waits for Hendrix to leave before she sits up, careful not to wake Kyrie, and makes room for me on the chair. “Did you win?”
“Yeah, baby. We won.” I sit down next to her and drop a kiss on her head. “Do you need anything?”
“A chair that doesn’t make my ass hurt would be fantastic. But that’s not going to happen here. So nope. I’m good.” Delaney smiles, and it’s like everything is right in my world. “Did you get in trouble for having to talk to me before the game?”
“Not at all. Declan knew you were coming. I told him as soon as you called. The whole day’s been a shit show.
From the minute Scarlet brought me into the office to tell me the DA decided to not file charges.
It’s all anyone wanted to talk about in all the pregame interviews.
” I pick her feet up and lay her legs across mine.
“Two of them mentioned your dad took a plea deal too. Have you heard anything about that?”
Her mouth opens, her expression morphing from shock to frustration to devastation, all in the span of a few moments. “No. I hadn’t heard. Do you know if it’s true?”
“No. But I can message Liv and see what she can find out.”
“That sounds good. I would have hoped they’d have called Ashton or me if something like that had happened, but after today with Brooks, I really don’t know what to think.”
“Lane . . .” Her gold-flecked doe eyes are wide as they look up at me, full of trust and exhaustion and something else I’m hoping I recognize. “I—”
“It’s a boy.” Finn walks into the waiting room and announces like we didn’t all know Ashton was having a boy. “He’s big. Ten pounds, nine ounces.”
Jamie and Finn’s parents stand up, and their mom bursts into tears.
“And they named him Evan.”
Evan. After her late brother. The one Delaney never got to meet.
Neither of these sisters had an easy life. And Ashton and Jamie’s story is as complicated as ours. I look back to my wife and catch her wiping a stray tear from her cheek.
“How about we sneak in to meet Evan and then I take you and Kyrie back to Jamie and Ashton’s place and we crash there for the night with the little princess?”
Her lower lip trembles as she runs a hand over the sleeping baby’s head. “That sounds like a good plan.”
Gently, I drop her legs to the floor and press a kiss to her temple as I stand, ready to talk to Finn.
“Ryker . . .” Lane grabs my wrist and pulls me back down. Her hand moves to my face, and she presses her forehead to mine. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Never thank me for taking care of you, Bambi.”
I want to tell her so much more.
But not here. Not now.
Soon.